Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to ridicule or tease someone; thus joshing n.

1845		St Louis (MO) Reveille 19 Apr. 2/4: Look out in future, and if you must Josh, why, give a private one [DA].
1851		C.L. Canfield Diary of a Forty-Niner (1906) 58: I have had to stand a lot of joshing from pard.
1862		T.F. Upson diary Nov. in Winther With Sherman to the Sea (1958) 30: Some of the boys josh them about showing the white feather.
1874		Burlington (IA) Hawk Eye 9 July 1/5: Some of the boys conceived the unfortunate idea of joshing him.
1887		F. Francis Jr Saddle and Mocassin 125: Nobody been joshing you, I suppose?
1896		Ade Artie (1963) 58: Joshin’ me and Mame, and sayin’ ‘That’s all right. Some time I’ll come and see you two hitched up.’.
1905		‘Hugh McHugh’ You Can Search Me 94: The way you two ducks josh each other is pitiful.
1910		‘O. Henry’ ‘The Girl and the Habit’ in Strictly Business (1915) 237: I’ll miss joshing the fellows awfully.
1917		C.B. Case Ford Smiles 3: What perversity of human nature has developed the recent propensity to ‘josh’ a wonderful machine, that has benefited the very people who laugh at their own ‘tin lizzies’ and ‘henrys’?
1935		N. Algren ‘A Place to Lie Down’ in Texas Stories (1995) 59: He’d like to josh the nigger a little now.
1945		J.T. Adams Mountain Murder 33: Bowling was waving that $20, joshing Mrs. Furlow about payin’ for his dinner.
1955		K. Amis letter 31 Aug. in Leader (2000) 449: I think you are approaching the American ‘joshing-along’ technique, whereby insults can be bandied, provided the aimer of them keeps a smile on his face.
1968		T. Wolfe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1969) 163: Trying to josh him out of all his hangups and inferiorities.
1978		P. Theroux Picture Palace 28: I wondered if he had people joshing him and trying to persuade him to stay home?
1984		(con. WW2) T. Jones Heart of Oak [ebook] The stokers usually joshed the boy seamen.
1988		(con. 1940s) C. Bram Hold Tight (1990) 11: Most of his shipmates thought Hank was only joshing them.
1999		Observer Rev. 25 July 3: Others josh, snipe and rib; only Bruce demolishes.
2000		Guardian G2 28 June 7: ‘I don’t need to ask whether you’ll be wanting to swear on the Bible,’ he joshes Sister Veronica with crushing levity.
2007		T. Dorsey Hurricane Punch 131: Just joshin’ you. I’d never hurt a man of the cloth.
2009		L. McIlvanney All the Colours 55: I’d only meant to josh him.
2010		L. Redhead Thrill City [ebook] You’re just joshin’ me. Cheeky.
2015		S. King Finders Keepers (2016) 295: ‘He grew a moustache. [I] joshed him about it.’ ‘How did he take the joshing?’.
2022		Twitter 15 Dec. 🌐 We have a lot of joshing, but this [i.e. a friend’s new book] will be truly brilliant.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 119: [T]he fucker took offence when I called him an oven dodging yid cunt [...] What’s all the fuss – it’s just joshing isn’t it, robust joshing... high spirited.

2. to indulge in teasing or banter; thus joshing n. and adj.

1907		D. Runyon ‘Fat Fallon’ in From First to Last (1954) 29: He ate with us and slept with us and joshed with us.
1910		‘O. Henry’ ‘The Thing’s the Play’ in Strictly Business (1915) 125: An assignment to write up a roaring, hilarious, brilliant, joshing story.
1917		‘A-No. 1’ From Coast to Coast with Jack London 39: We entertained each other with joshing at the expense of the officer whose authority we had put to naught.
1922		S. Lewis Babbitt (1974) 127: The finest lot of little women in town – just as good at joshing as the men.
1928		M.C. Sharpe Chicago May (1929) 179: How we talked and joshed the table round.
1953		F. Paley Rumble on the Docks (1955) 63: More bosses, joshing and swapping tips.
1976		P. Theroux Family Arsenal 276: ‘Keep your hands where I can see them,’ said Sweeney, joshing, as if Hood had misbehaved.
1981		W. Boyd ‘My Girl in Skin-Tight Jeans’ in On the Yankee Station (1982) 93: I watched them laughing and joshing for a while in the street.
1997		N. Barlay Curvy Lovebox 122: Everyone’s joshin’ an posin’ in the limelight.
1999		Indep. Rev. 10 July 8: Sergio’s joshings with Josef appear in next week’s programme.
2001		A. Sillitoe Birthday 37: No laughter, no joshing voices, no shrieking kids.
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 251: The enemy ranks joshed among themselves until the siren sounded.
2013		J. Stahl Happy Mutant Baby Pills 45: I tried to play it off as good-natured office joshing, but [...] whenever he teased me I cringed.
2018		‘Aidan Truhen’ Price You Pay 7: Cub nearby looks a little shocked but we are joshing obviously just joshing like black humour.
2020		G. Disher Consolation 93: [T]hey were not close. Friendly joshing, mutual regard.

3. see zhoosh v.